Trust your instincts, protection officer advises

The protection and prevention officer for a church committee on
professional standards has appealed to people to "trust their instincts
when they are suspicious" of the possibility of child abuse.

Legislation and other programs are not enough to protect the vulnerable, Brigidine Sr Angela Ryan told The Age.

The
National Committee for Professional Standards is asking Catholics to
learn more about the harm sexual abuse does, and how abusers groom
their victims.

The Committee has produced a nine-page statement
that says people rarely make false claims about sexual abuse. It says
that in almost every case, there are people who sensed there was a
problem but failed to act because they weren't sure or didn't know how
to respond.

Sr Ryan said: "The more people know what went on in
the past, the more they understand the effects of abuse, the more we
can keep people safe."